Forever (Discontinued)
by Ngame
Summary: (REBOOT IN PROGRESS) Star and Marco have known each other for over four years now, and as they've grown, so too has their relationship. Anxious over the impending changes in both of their futures and unsure about how to approach the topic, they turn to friends and family for advice... for better or worse.
1. Echo

"Saccharine Sucker Punch!"

A candy-coated fist erupted from the jewel of the wand, hurtling towards an oncoming aggressor. The collision didn't deliver much physical impact, but his eyes widened like saucers as the true effect of the attack began to course through his bloodstream. Marco turned his attention to this scene, having just finished off the other batch of rebels. He was intimately familiar with that exact look, the one that signaled impending damage to a taco stand roughly four years ago, that he had seen many times since – despite his insistence to the one commonly sporting that look that sugarritos were not, in fact, the "secret base of the food pyramid." As the Mewnian scoundrel began to bounce in place, Marco used his distracted state to sweep his legs out with a quick kick, and pin him to the floor. A spellcast quickly restrained the man, quite the feat given the sugar-fueled hyperactivity, and Marco brushed himself off and walked over to the gelatinous mass on the ground, reaching for the nebulously shaped appendage to help it up.

"You OK, Slime? We took care of the last of them."

Slime reformed his usual appearance just in time to casually dismiss the concern. "Ha, I've had way worse happen before. Just last week, Penny dropped an entire chest on me for ten minutes without noticing, no big."

"She's lucky you're so chill with it… last time I dropped something on Star, I ended up on the butt end of a one of her newer spells, _literally_." He glanced over at Star, who was talking with some guards to prepare the police carriage, and smirked. Sure, it had taken two full days to get the minotaur stench out of him from that incident, but the entertainment he got trying to ambush Star with some noxious hugs was just about worth it.

"Ha, women sometimes, y'know? Well anyway, thanks for the help. More of the older folks are getting a bit riled up lately, some people still aren't quite copacetic with the whole 'goop monster being the new prince of the kingdom,' I guess. It's way better than it used to be though, you and Star have done wonders!"

Marco blushed a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck and stole another glance at the blonde. "I don't know, Star's been heading that whole thing for years, I really didn't do much besides helping her keep the peace. It's amazing how much she's accomplished."

Slime didn't miss the look of unyielding devotion in the young knight's eyes and he followed Marco's gaze over to the princess who put so much of her soul into making Mewni a better place for himself and all other peaceful monsters. "Don't sell yourself short, man, I'm pretty sure everyone in the entire dimension knows that you're an integral part of all of this progress. Hell, if I didn't know any better, I'd guess you'd been the official Prince of Mewni for years now!" Slime laughed, breaking Marco's trance just in time for another to begin, with eyes wide and a blush creeping in. "Ha, don't worry about it. Whatever happens, happens. Anyway, I told Penny I'd go give her a massage soon, the latest batch of spider bites has been driving her _crazy_. Thanks again!"

As Slime began meandering back to the home of the Spiderbite royalty, Marco bit his lip in thought. The casual use of _prince_ had given him some pause, of course, but that wasn't the true topic of his contemplation. He'd already been thinking about "the future" for a few weeks now, like some vague haunting entity; in the last three years, Marco had made so many strides forward in building a fulfilling life for himself, one that he was proud of. He was a far cry from his teenage years, when trying to acquire a red belt felt like a harrowing life decision, but he was still largely taking things one day at a time with himself, his role on Mewni… and with Star. Broaching this topic with Star was a daunting task, but the latest conversation was the ignition he needed to make the leap and express his concerns. Marco recognized that in his over four years of knowing her, she was his steadfast confidant (among many other things), and he was hers, but the sheer weight of the topic manifested itself into a lump in his throat that felt _physical_ any time he thought about it. Bringing it up _now_ was out of the question, as he was due for a visit home that night; perhaps a chance to sleep on it at home – however much Earth could _truly_ be considered 'home,' these days - would prepare him to relieve this burden from himself.

" _I'm not sure how I'm going to do it,"_ he thought as he finally made his way over toward his princess, " _but I need to tell Star how I feel about this, about my - and our - future, and soon."_

* * *

Her hair billowed out behind her as the air soared past, amplifying the latent chill brought on by the passage of fall - or Mewni's equivalent, at least. Her passenger, it seemed, was not as thrilled as she was, likely due to being directly in the path of her veritable mane of blonde hair.

"Staaar! Can we - _blegh,_ dammit Star, I got a hairball! - can we slow it down a bit? I'm trying to save room for my mom's cooking tonight, and your locks aren't exactly a great appetizer," he griped. She felt his arms tighten around her midsection and his chin rest on her right shoulder as he brushed her hair to the side, and in that same instant the cold dissipated just a bit. He purred into her right ear, "You're not in a hurry to ditch me, are you?" She could practically _feel_ his patented smirk, as if she had a special Marco-sense, and she found herself sporting one of her own.

She giggled and glanced over, meeting her favorite pair of eyes as best she could in their current position. "If I wanted to do that, I'd have swiped your scissors and left you to the spiders, silly. It's a nice day out, and I thought if we took Cloudy we could enjoy some of it together!"

"Nice day? Star, you're shivering enough that I think you might have fallen off without me as your seatbelt. At least remember to take a hoodie next time, being this cold can't be good for you."

"Psssh, temperature talk from the guy who wears hoodies to the beach in the summer. Tom even offered to burn off the sleeves and make it breathe more easily when we went a few months ago, but nooooo." Marco tried feebly to interject with mention of the value of clothing for blocking UV rays, but Star rolled her eyes. "Besides, I already know a special spell for beating the cold!"

"And what might that be, oh-powerful Princess Butterfly?" he inquired, though the mischievous glint in her eyes would have been answer enough had he been able to see them clearly.

"Well, Sir Diaz, it's so extra-magical that I don't even need words to cast it. Watch this!" She pulled out her wand and held it up with a flourish, and Marco's eyes briefly followed, but he was interrupted by a pair of lips on his own. Star pulled back a few seconds later, grinning widely as his cheeks quickly grew red as if to counter Star's own heart emblems.

"Hmm, that did seem quite effective, but I'm worried such a locally-administered spell might lack coverage. We wouldn't want you getting frostbite elsewhere, would we? Let Dr. Marco, Ph.D., do some scientific testing."

"Hwaa-?" Star's eyebrow rose quizzically, but she was interrupted as he leaned in to peck her nose, before moving on to her right cheek, planting smooches all over that half of her face. He leaned back and straightened his posture to reach the top of her head, continuing his ministrations as Star snorted with uncontrollable laughter.

"MARCO, ST-STOP, I'M GONNA FALL OFF!", she breathed out in the pauses between her giggle fits, but Marco's strong arms kept her in place and prevented her flailing hands and kicking legs from threatening her stability. His head made its way to her opposite shoulder, his final kiss lingering for a bit longer on her left cheek, and they both finally settled down with her left hand intertwining with his right.

She followed his gaze to see the Butterfly castle, just over the horizon, framed beautifully by the twilight. "You know, Star, you're right. I think taking the long way was a good idea today." She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head on his, fully content in Marco's embrace; the following silence made it clear he was experiencing the same absolute peace.

These little moments, just her and Marco being themselves, kept Star going through the toughest and most stressful times. He was her knight, protector, boyfriend, soulmate, and so much more, and thoughts of what all these labels might entail started to encroach on her tranquility. She was constantly working towards the future set in stone for her at birth, but what would it mean for him? There were likely years left before she would need to step up to the throne, but with every royal function he attended alongside her, the murmurs among the citizens and nobles alike seemed to grow, wondering what his true role within the kingdom might become. Her family wasn't necessarily _unhappy_ with her and Marco's current situation, but the future was a harbinger of change, dangling over them like a guillotine, and she didn't even know how to begin addressing her thoughts to him.

As the castle walls quickly approached, she glanced at the Latino, who seemed as lost in thought as she was. She mused over the last spoken words between them; they had certainly 'taken the long way' years ago when working through their new and confusing feelings, and a lack of communication and gripping fear of change made this seem insurmountable for many painful months. Star and Marco had both gotten over the worst of this, but laying her own heart out so completely would still be a delicate enough task that she was hesitant to see it through. If she wanted to amend her past shortcomings and prepare for the next stage of the journey ahead of her, of _them_ , though…

" _I need to talk to him before this all catches up to us, no matter how it turns out._ "


	2. Cuff

"Star, have you seen Bunnyfly anywhere?"

"What's that, Marco? Can't hear you very well when your face is on the ground!" she said as she put her phone down and swung herself so she could lean over the side of the bed.

Marco scooted out from underneath the bed frame and dusted himself off, eyes darting all around the room. "Bunnyfly, my wubbie, the one _you_ named when I finally replaced Esteban? I can't find her anywhere, and I need to be home soon!"

Star's eyebrow raised as he practically leapt from one piece of furniture to the next, tearing through his room trying to find the cotton animal. "And why exactly are you in such a hurry to find it? You know, I don't even _remember_ the last time I've seen you with it." She put her hand to her chin in thought, but a haggard groan from her boyfriend snapped her out of it as he flopped on his back next to her.

"Come on Star, you know I can't sleep well without something to cuddle," he said without a hint of shame, "and I'm spending the night on Earth. Mom and Dad have a bunch of my old clothes and toothbrushes and stuff but I kept all my personal items here. Are you sure you can't come? They'd love to see you."

Star reclined next to him and sighed, dejectedly responding, "You know I'd love to, but Mom wants me here tonight to prepare for the annual Corn Count Carnival tomorrow morning. It's this long, _boring_ thing where the farmers count each ear of corn they'd produced _by hand_ to prove their worth to Corntessa – she's a fabled goddess, rules over the cornfields, yadda yadda. I don't get all the fuss!" She threw her arms in the air to punctuate her exasperation as Marco raised an eyebrow. "OK, OK, I know what you're going to say, but the Stump is _actually_ a powerful mystical entity, Corntessa just controls some corn. You wouldn't want to be there anyway, I didn't make a big stink about it because I know how much your parents wanted you to be home for their anniversary. Tell you what, I'll look around tonight after dinner and text you if I find it, kay?"

"Thanks, Star," he mumbled half-heartedly.

A roguish grin spread across her face as she rolled to face him. "Besides, you'll only be gone for one night, and _this_ B-Fly doesn't want her role as cuddle buddy usurped for long!" She poked him in the stomach, and he swatted her away, but his glumness succumbed to her onslaught as she continued prodding all over his torso.

"ST-STAR - STOP PLEASE I CAN'T - TICKLISH" he cried out between fits of laughter, and after a painstaking struggle he finally got a firm grip on her wrists as he hauled the two of them upright to gain better leverage. They held their positions as their vivacity gradually subsided and serenity overtook them. Marco's hands slipped into a cozy mesh with her own as he tenderly gazed into her eyes, and after a long second he leaned forward to kiss her. Her heart emblems had exhibited a wide variety of special effects throughout her 18 years of life, but they now emanated the simple red glow Marco had come to know and love, as if her cheeks were copying his hoodies. He broke away for air and moved his hands up to cradle her face, but any thoughts of further intimacy were scattered as his phone alarm started to blare.

"Oh my god, I'm going to be late!" Marco bolted up, casting away his hoodie and t-shirt while scrambling to acquire dressier attire. Star rolled her eyes as he finished getting ready, knowing that he always set his alarms early to allow adequate time for his fussy preparation habits. She stood up and fixed his collar as he finished smoothing his hair.

"Hey Marco, this shirt looks familiar… Did you wear it to the last Silver Bell Ball? No, that's not it…"

"Star, I don't have time! My parents are gonna freak if I'm not home soon! It's their 20th wedding anniversary _and_ the 30th anniversary of their first date, I can't mess this up!" He checked himself out in the mirror one last time.

"You'll be fine, don't worry so much! Tell your parents I said hi, I really do miss seeing them." Marco turned to face her once more as he slung his backpack over one shoulder.

"Will do. See you tomorrow, Star, I love you." He closed the distance and kissed her temple as they settled into a warm embrace.

"I love you too," she mumbled into his chest contentedly. With his soulmate in his arms, his thoughts shifted back to his talk with Slime earlier that day. The dread had slowly built in his mind for weeks to the point where it was no longer expunged by her gentle touch. With a heavy heart, he separated from Star and cut a portal to his house. As his body crossed the threshold to Earth, his mind dwelt only on Mewni.

* * *

"Alright, Marco's room is all set for the night, honey, are you sure you don't need any help in there?" Angie yelled into the kitchen from the bottom of the stairs, struggling to make herself heard over the din of timers going off.

Rafael's broad frame peeked out into the living room, holding a large pot of stew. "Don't trouble yourself, _querida_ , this is our anniversary dinner and Marco's first time home in months and I want to make it special for you both!" He disappeared once more as she sat down on the couch, looking up at the wall filled with portraits of Marco and the foreign students the family had housed. Over the past few years, one in particular took over an entire section of the wall, despite only being their houseguest for a fraction of the time. She fondly recalled Star Butterfly crash-landing into their lives; since that fateful day over four years ago, she brought a light into Marco's life that undeniably bettered him. Angie could not have been more proud of her son for taking charge of his life, but some part of her lamented nonetheless that he was drifting away from Earth. Her eyes lingered on the photos where he sported more formal attire, looking almost like nobility – or even royalty.

She strolled into the entryway of the kitchen and sighed, inquiring, "Do you think Marco's doing OK, dear? He sounded kind of _off_ on the mirror last week, he's so wrapped up in the hubbub of the castle. I know there's nowhere he'd rather be, but I'm still worried." Rafael finished slicing the last of the pork for his famous _tortas ahogadas_.

"Do you think we need to find a sad young adult hotline?" he asked pensively as he put the tomato sauce on the table, with no trace of sarcasm detectable in his voice.

She leaned on the doorway, arms folded, and glanced in the direction of the portraits. "No, it's not that, it's just… he's been through a lot of changes, Raf, and his life is so _different_ now, and I don't really know anything about it! Should we ask him if something's wrong? I don't want to pry but…" She trailed off as she heard the telltale sound of a dimensional portal opening upstairs, a bag dropping on the floor shortly after.

Marco descended the stairs, wearing polished black dress shoes, black pants, and deep red button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up slightly, exposing the decorative pattern of moons and stars present on the cuffs. He was beaming, albeit with a slightly troubled look in his eyes, as his parents ran up to greet him as quickly as they could in their similarly fancy attire. "Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Happy anniversary! Star says hi, too, of course," he said with his hands behind his back as they took turns hugging and kissing him. "Now close your eyes... I got you fanny packs!" He handed them the pouches, full of emergency supplies, and they stared blankly for a moment before all three began laughing at Marco's annual gift, which had become a running joke in recent years. "OK, OK, now for the _real_ presents. For Dad… a real knight's helmet straight from Mewni!"

Rafael giddily attempted to fit it onto his head as Marco leaned in and whispered to his mother, "Don't tell him, but I was able to get that because it belonged to Sir Bullfrog, who recently, uh, _croaked_." Angie looked at Marco, then back to Rafael – who had managed to get the helmet on, _backwards_ , and was stumbling around the living room – and then nodded once with a concerned expression. "And for you, Mom, I brought a book of Mewnian poetry!" Her eyes lit up as she received the sizable blue volume, and she began flipping through verses about monster-slaying, valiant knights, corn, beautiful princesses, handsome princes, more corn… In her peripheral vision she noticed him following along, his eyes glazing over as his countenance grew forlorn. She closed the book and hugged her son, thanking him for the thoughtful gift as her mind drifted back to her earlier thoughts. He began wandering toward the kitchen and stuttered out, "Anyway, uh, hope you both like your gifts, I'm gonna go get a drink and sit down."

Angie approached her husband, who was curled into a defeated ball on the couch, and effortlessly removed the headgear as his eyes went wide from the light in the room. "I really do think something's going on with him and Mewni, dear."

Rafael wrapped a massive arm around her and pulled her in, kissing her cheek. "If he is having problems on Mewni, Earth is probably the last place he wants to think about them, dear. He's here for dinner with his _familia_ , so let's eat and see what happens, alright?" She leaned up to reciprocate his affection, and they both entered the kitchen to begin the meal.

* * *

"Mmmm, dad, this is _amazing_! When was the last time you made this?" Marco exclaimed as he ladled a second helping of the _birria_ into his bowl. The succulence of the authentic Mexican cuisine and his parents' joviality had quickly swept away his gloom, and he found himself chuckling at his parents' antics of trying to feed each other romantically – not a particularly easy task with stew. Today was a special day for them, and he was trying his hardest to not let his own issues get in the way of that.

"Oh, I do not know, it was quite a while ago. But I can tell you the first time I made it: on the night of my first date with your darling mother. Mi _papá_ had taught me that the food was the best way to a woman's heart. We started the day by going out dancing, and when we came home I cooked this meal as an attempt at truly winning her over," he said as he beheld his wife of 20 years.

Angie reached across the table to grab his bulky hand and responded, "Clearly you did a good job."

As his parents got lost in their own little world, Marco reminisced about his and Star's earlier days as a couple, when they were so focused on fumbling through this new step in their relationship that he hadn't yet felt the associated weight. Knighthood, royal events, and even crowns had felt like a distant mirage. Sure, the forces of evil were always looming over them, threatening them and those they held dear, but it hadn't daunted him nearly as much with her by his side. He gathered another spoonful of stew, and as it cooled in front of his mouth, the pattern on his shirt cuffs arrested his attention. Marco had caught on long ago to some of the similarities between his parents' relationship and his own, but in that moment a revelation struck him that caused his heart to skip a beat: this was the shirt he wore to his and Star's own first dance as a couple.

* * *

Author's Note: So this was originally only going to be the first half of the chapter, but the next part grew beyond what I anticipated. I actually almost have it done already and was debating waiting to put both up, but I'm moving back to campus soon so I wanted to post something before I get bogged down with that. Reviews are always appreciated!

 **Review Responses:**

 **Kirdei Antares:** Indeed it is. And thanks!  
 **Michi:** Thanks!  
 **Kaiser Spartan:** Thank you so much! It's a learning experience for me and I only hope I can continue improving as the story goes on (and there's a lot left!)


	3. Amor

**Two and a half years earlier**

* * *

 _Stars and red moons._

Marco glanced at his shirt cuffs as he fastened his belt, lapsing into a reverie. It had all happened so quickly, or maybe it was slow but just felt like a freight train, and Marco wasn't sure which was scarier. His almost-year living on Mewni had been the most intense of his young life, but he welcomed the insanity as he always did when it came to Star. He had left his family, home, and entire dimension behind to rappel up to Star's window and pledged himself to her, and since then so many things were different – some bad, some good.

"Oh Maaarcooooo, are you reeeaady yeeeet?" Star lilted through his door, breaking the introspective contemplation of his wrists.

"Just a sec, Star." Marco finished buttoning his shirt, looped and knotted his plain black tie, and reached over for his jacket – a black tuxedo with gold trim, a sleeker rendition of his Día de Muertos attire – and his mind drifted off once again.

" _Some bad, some good."_ He glanced at his cuffs for the second time – stars and red moons. _"Even some great,"_ he wistfully pondered to himself, eyes downcast, with a genuine smile as he made his way across his bedroom and opened the door.

His gaze slowly ascended from the exposed toes of white heels, up the crimson of a floor-length gown, across the hearts ornamenting the cinched waist, and past the bare shoulders framed in blonde, settling on the sky-blue eyes appraising him much the same.

"Marco, you… you look so incredible!" Star hummed, finally meeting his eyes.

"You're beautiful," he breathed out, the pieces of his mind still picking themselves up off the floor.

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz had called two weeks ago to inform him of his official invitation to the Echo Creek Academy End-of-the-Year Formal - despite not currently being an enrolled student - and he was reticent, to say the least. His personal history with formal events was riddled with misfortune – from Ludo's attack that fateful night with Jackie, to the havoc wreaked on his and Star's relationship by Song Day, to the unleashing of Meteora at Star's own party. Even the Blood Moon Ball had been bittersweet at the time. Above all this, though, was the anxiety from the tone of his initial departure from Earth. He had abandoned his friends, his parents, and even the _girlfriend_ he'd crushed on for a decade for the promise of adventure by Star's side. Rationally, he knew that most of them _forgave_ him, but did that mean they would welcome him back with open arms?

Perhaps those lingering fears hadn't entirely vanished, but in that moment, they faded into background noise compared to the girl opposite him.

She looked away and sheepishly rubbed her arm, carefully asking, "You're OK with this, right? I know you have that whole thing with parties, and I know you feel kinda weird about seeing everyone… If you want to just hang out here and-"

"No, no, Star, it's fine. It's still a little weird, yeah, but this is our first big event and I want to have fun together. Shall we?" He extended his left hand to her as he cut a portal with his right, and together they crossed over to the threshold of their old school.

As they made their way to the gymnasium, Marco's focus darted to-and-fro, nervously scanning for familiar faces he might want to avoid. More than a few heads turned towards the pair buzzing with shock, confusion, or even giddiness at their joint arrival.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here…" a voice suddenly purred from behind. "Do my eyes deceive me, or do I detect a pair of paramours?" Marco saw an olive beanie in his peripheral vision as Janna appeared in between them, draping her arms across their shoulders. "If you ever need a marriage counselor-"

"JANNA BANANA!" Star's excitement cut off Janna's tease as she let go of Marco and wheeled around to wrap her arms around her friend. "It's been so long! How's Earth been?"

"Oh, you know, same as usual. No zombie apocalypse, no eldritch horrors, and the spirit world hasn't even invaded the material plane! Overall, pretty lame. Now say cheese!"

"Wait wha-" Marco shrieked as Janna shoved the duo together, pulling out an instant camera and snapping a photo of the two of them.

"Aww, look at the dorky couple," the wily girl said as she showed them the result: Star with a surprising reaction time had managed to get her arm around Marco with a bright smile on her face, but the boy wore an absurd grimace as his eyes had snapped shut from the flash. Janna pulled a Prussian-blue wallet from her sleeve, bypassing the lock to insert the photo as well as a few of herself with various sultry looks on her face. "There you go, now you've made some _special memories_ of this night."

"JANNA!" Marco bellowed exasperatedly as he snatched his own wallet back, shooing her away. Star waved goodbye as she took his hand, giggling at the familiar antics. When he remained distraught after a few seconds, she bit her lip and rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. Marco knew this night was important to Star as a way to make up for the time they lost to awkwardness, confused feelings, and heartbreak, but he still couldn't shake his unease. He took a deep breath and smiled wearily back at her, and they entered the gymnasium.

Compared to the dance that Marco had ditched with Jackie, this one looked like a dream. Ornate decorations, an expensive-looking DJ setup, and catered appetizers surrounded the main dance floor, where there was a sizable crowd grooving to the upbeat music blasting from the surround sound system. Marco stared in awe and whispered to Star, "If they could afford _this_ , you'd think they'd be able to hire a teacher who likes their job," jabbing a thumb in the direction of Miss Skullnick, who was yelling at anyone who appeared to be having too much fun. The juxtaposition of the beauty around them and his snide comment made her snort with laughter, seizing the attention of most of the gathered crowd as those in the back skirted around the sides to get a better view. Marco's grip on Star tightened as beads of sweat formed on his face; after a seemingly eternal silence, a few hoots and hollers began and shortly evolved into full-on cheering.

Marco shot Star a worried expression and she immediately nestled into his side reassuringly as the crowd began to envelop them. "Go Marco!" "They're so adorable!" "Is he a prince now or something?" "Are they married?" "I thought they died!" and many other exclamations all blended together into a haze, disorienting Marco as he leaned on Star for support. His remaining stability was obliterated when a massive boy tackled him to the ground; when Marco attempted to catch his breath after the impact, a much lankier body added to the dogpile.

"We missed you so much Marco!" Ferguson and Alfonzo shouted in unison, glad to finally have their only other friend back. Their string of questions multiplied the din, and Marco shoved them away and bolted to his feet in a panic, the crowd's attention overwhelming him. Star put her hand on his shoulder out of concern, but he couldn't find it in him to meet her eyes.

"I'm gonna go… get some punch. I'll be right back," he stammered with a feeble smile, and shuffled away towards an empty bleacher in the corner of the room. Why did this have to be so difficult? Marco couldn't figure out exactly why the care and consideration for his return was eating at him, but he could barely stand to be around it. He heard a body plop down next to him as a cup of punch was placed in his hands.

"Sup, Marco?" His eyes comically widened at the sound of her voice, so familiar and yet so distant in his memory. She was wearing the same sea-green dress from their first date, right down to the telltale impression of a hidden skateboard under her skirt that he had learned to recognize in their months together.

"Jackie?" he uttered incredulously, almost spilling his drink. "What are you doing here? I mean I know it's your school and all but for some reason I didn't think about you being here and I thought even if you were you'd be avoiding me and-"

She gripped his shoulders, stymying his rambling. "Marco. Dude. Breeeeeathe. Why would I avoid you? We're chill, right? I mean, you've been busy with Mewni, and I've been grinding some rails here, but that doesn't mean I don't like you or anything, kay?"

He took a deep breath to steady himself before venturing to speak again. "Sorry, it's just- I don't think I should be here. I left everyone, and I just kept _screwing things up_ on Earth and… ugh, I feel so stupid, I don't deserve all this celebration." He buried his head in his hands and mumbled, "Mewni is the place where I feel like I actually did something right."

Jackie violently grabbed his knees and spun him to face her, taking his hands in hers as he glumly raised his head to meet her firm gaze. "Marco, stop. We all make mistakes, but you don't deserve Earth's hate, OK? You're Marco Diaz, who falls off the skateboard of life and gets right back on. Who breaks out of his shell to connect with people he cares about. Who saved a poor lobster from captivity at an evil fancy restaurant. If there even _is_ anyone here who hates you for any of those things you did on Earth, they'll have to answer to me, kay?"

"That... sounds dangerous, are you sure you could handle it?"

"I'll try and find some help if that makes you feel any better, dude."

"If we freed more of the lobsters, maybe we could raise an army for protection?"

"But we can't keep them in captivity for ourselves, that's unethical!"

"What if we only recruit volunteers?"

His demeanor, gradually improving throughout the back-and-forth, finally cracked into a wide grin as they both began to chuckle at their silly repartee.

"Thanks, Jackie. I really needed this. I… I was scared of seeing everyone - of seeing _you_ here again because it reminded me of all the hurt feelings, my indecision, my stupid 'cwoissant' phase… and that led to a lot more bad stuff on Mewni…" He paused to sigh and looked over to his girlfriend, who was too distraught from his disappearance to even hold a conversation, sipping her drink somberly.

"At the end of last summer, I told you to stay amazing, right? I look out there and see that girl who's missing her best friend right now, and y'know what I think? If she's the center of attention like she is and she's still sad without him, he's got to be pretty amazing. Now I don't know all the details of what went down between you two this year, but I _do_ know the things I saw when I followed you into the school." Marco began to squirm a bit; Jackie had promised him that there were no hard feelings, but with their final parting words on the pier in mind, he couldn't help but wonder if she was harboring some type of resentment deep down. His motion to interject was curbed by her finger to his lips and her knowing gaze boring into his soul.

Jackie continued, unrelenting, "I noticed how you kept sneaking glances at each other, how she comforted you with all those little signs of affection, and how you walked into a dance that scared you to death with your head held high just for her. Maybe I was kind of bummed when we split up, but I knew it was best for both of us then, and seeing you with Star proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. It doesn't matter if you believe me when I tell you you're not a screw-up, or that you're worthy of kindness, or that you're the best friend someone could ask for, because I know that girl out there can make you see that for yourself whether you're here or on Mewni. And she's a pretty cool chick herself, but I don't think you needed _me_ to spell that one out."

Marco's hands balled up into fists as he fought back tears, turning to see those compassionate minty-green eyes that were still dear to his heart. He launched forward to wrap her in a bear hug, and she patted him gently on the back.

"Jackie, you're a great friend, you're the best, really. You don't know how much this means to me."

"You're a good guy, Marco, and I think you can figure it out from here. But I do have one last piece of advice for you." She broke the embrace and stood, pulling him up with her, and he followed her line of sight into the crowd to see Star looking at the two of them, eyes glistening. "Don't keep her waiting." Marco gave a wobbly smile back and began to walk across the stage as Jackie flashed her a double thumbs-up.

The crowd parted as he sauntered over to Star, his formerly timid and fearful attitude replaced by a firm resolve. Star's teary eyes widened, unsure of what he would do, when he wrapped her in a fierce hold as she went limp in his arms.

"Star, this is all my fault. You were so eager to be here and I ruined it and just tried to hide. I… I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about all this, but I care about you more than whatever reservations I have here."

Star finally gathered her bearings and wriggled her way out of his bear hug, taking his hands and staring into his chocolate eyes. "Marco, I… I didn't know you were this worked up about it. I saw the invitation and got so excited and you probably felt like you didn't have a choice and – _ugh_ , it's all my fault that I made you do something that made you so uncomf-" She stopped mid-sentence as he cupped her cheek, wiping away the lone tear flowing onto her heart emblem, causing her breath to hitch.

"Star, it's okay. What happened is behind us, and we're here now."

She took a deep breath to regain her composure and set her jaw. "But do you, Marco Diaz, _want_ to be here right now? Please answer me honestly, I don't want you to feel like you have to sacrifice your own happiness for me, not ever again."

He traced circles on her hands with his thumbs as he tried to respond, to push down his insecurities and say he wanted to be here and _mean_ it, but the nervous gulp and brief stammer betrayed him before he could get a word out. She nodded in understanding.

"Don't worry about it, Marco. Besides, honestly? I don't think this would have been all that fun anyway. Everyone here's just kinda been paying attention to us this whole time and not really dancing since we got here. C'mon, let's get out of here and go find a _real_ party." She started to pull away, but Marco tugged her back in, their foreheads gently coming together.

"Thanks, Star, I really do appreciate it. Buuuut if you're right that all these people care about us more than the dance, we should at least give them _something_ , right?" She smirked at him and angled her head as he did the same, meeting him halfway. Her cheeks lit up and he felt her grin into his lips as the whistles and cheers reached their ears. Janna's yelling "CAN I BE A BRIDESMAID?" topped off the commotion, causing Star and Marco's moment of affection to dissolve into giggling.

The pair broke apart, sheepishly grinning at their very public display, before Star grabbed Marco's hand once again and led him outside the cafeteria to the front door of the school.

"The night's still young, Diaz, where do you wanna go?"

"I've got just the place. Close your eyes, and no peeking until I say so, okay?" She giggled and did as he said, following him as he opened a portal and guided them through it. "Now stay right there, I'll be back in a moment."

Upon their first return to Earth as a pair months ago, Star had reinstated her old tower on the side of the Diaz household. It was here that he brought them, and Marco left Star on the balcony as he tiptoed away to his room, trying not to give away any clues as to where they were. He rummaged through boxes while thumbing through music playlists on his phone, but right as he found his portable speakers he received a text message from Tom, of all people. His brow furrowed as he opened the communication.

"Hey Marco. Janna told me where u and Star are. Said u needed some help so I pulled some strings 2 get this made quick. U owe me one." Marco saw the name of the attached music file and felt a few errant teardrops stain his cheeks. After wiping them away and responding with his thanks, he hustled out of the room with the audio equipment in tow.

"Marco, I've been waiting for like five whole minutes!" Star whined, rocking back and forth on her feet with her eyes still sealed shut, unknowingly inching dangerously close to the balcony's edge.

"Almost!" He pulled her into the center of the area, set down the speaker and connected it to his phone, readying himself for what was to come. A tiny voice in the back of his mind warned him that Tom might have been pranking him, as he hadn't exactly been _delighted_ by the shifts in the romance situation, but any true bad blood between them had already dissipated and Marco knew Tom would have his back when it mattered most.

"Alright, Star, you can look now!" She glanced around, blinking heavily and taking in her surroundings as her face scrunched up in annoyance at the reveal.

"This is just my room! Marco, what's the big ide-"

"Star Butterfly, may I have this dance?" He extended his arm, awaiting her reply expectantly. Her lips parted in surprise as she clasped his hand and was guided towards him, cooing softly when his other hand landed on her waist as she put her free hand on his shoulder. Marco briefly leaned back to reach his phone and start the music, resuming their position as the opening organ tones of the Blood Moon Waltz began playing, the very one that accompanied the bonding of their souls early in their friendship. He began to sway them back and forth, her body following along instinctively with the dance steps while she stared at him, her eyes glazing over in shock. As the dramatic flourish of the keyboards signaled the end of the first section where their original dance under the Blood Moon had come to an abrupt halt, Marco twirled Star under his arm and dipped her down.

"Marco, how-" He cut her off with a quick peck on the lips and pulled her back up as the strings took over the melody.

"Less talking, more dancing," he whispered with a smirk as they continued to step in time with the music. His focus locked on to her face, her features framed in a red hue. It struck him that her cheeks were not the source of the glow, and he tentatively angled his gaze upwards as if he were afraid of what he expected to find. In truth, he almost was; the Blood Moon had only appeared a handful of times since that fateful dance that supposedly intertwined their spirits for eternity, and all of them had been ephemeral portents of danger. But in this moment, this _perfect_ moment, the crescent he found in the night sky was there only to signify with a crimson aura that the heavens themselves were celebrating the romance beneath them. Their dancing broke from a formal ballroom waltz as they passionately swung each other around, letting their hearts guide them.

Before him was Star Butterfly, the princess whose fiery spirit drew him unerringly to her side even across a dimensional divide, the girl who saw value in him that he himself hadn't perceived, the object of his unyielding devotion who gave him a reason to strive higher and higher each day. Yet of all the pivotal moments in his life, it was this tender one, where their bodies moved as one, when he felt like he was truly _soaring_. Tears were streaming down both of their faces as the strings died down, their bodies settling into an intimate hold as the final piano coda faded out gently.

"Marco, I don't know what to say," she choked out through her sobs of elation and awe at what had just occurred.

"Well, I think I do," he stated softly, detaching himself from her to wipe the glittering tracks of water from her face. "I love you."

"Wha – M-Marco? You… you… me..." Her mouth hung open as she withdrew slightly and pointed a visibly quaking finger at him in disbelief.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me on Earth or on Mewni. I did a lot of thinking tonight about a lot of things and somewhere along the way I realized what I felt. And every time we see this moon it seems like it's trying to tell us something that we should already know, so I guess that was just the final push I needed. But now it doesn't matter whether the moon is blood-red, neon green, or even made of nacho cheese. I don't need to look for anything shining in the night sky when the Star I love most is right here."

Her waterworks began anew as she tried and failed to produce any intelligible sounds; Marco grew concerned and began to approach when she _leaped_ into him, initiating the most ardent kiss they'd yet shared. He stepped back and grappled her to maintain his balance. In a fit of passion she wrapped her legs around him, his hands shifting to keep her from falling and hoisting her up above him. He eventually broke for air and she took it in stride, resting her forehead on his as they basked in the dual red glows from the sky and her face.

"I love you too, Marco."

He spun them until he caught the outline of the Blood Moon framing her face like a halo, the spectacle distorted and multiplied by the tears of joy in his eyes. A fractal array of his shining light in the darkness and the vibrant heavenly body adorning her. She dove in for another taste of his lips, and as his eyes snapped shut, that final vision remained etched into his mind.

Stars and red moons.

* * *

"Sweetie, is everything okay?"

Marco snapped to attention, eyes wide as though he had been rudely awakened from a deep slumber. Where was he again? What was he doing? He didn't know how long he'd been daydreaming, but a quick glance down showed it was clearly enough time to finish an entire second helping on autopilot. Definitely too long.

"Uhh, yeah I'm, uh… fine," he slurred, mind racing with the phantoms of emotions. Rafael glanced over at Angie, who slowly nodded. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from the table, striding with purpose towards their distraught son.

"Marco, would you come join us in the living room?"

"Uh, dad, aren't you gonna finish your meals?" Marco looked across the table, spotting both of their half-full bowls, and it was only then he noticed the distress in his mother's eyes - a clear enough sign she had lost her appetite.

"Do not worry about that, _mijo._ We can clean up later, this… is more important, I think." Rafael gestured for Marco to stand up, taking his chair and following him and Angie into the living room. He hefted the coffee table to the side as Marco grew increasingly alarmed.. Rafael and Angie settled on the couch, beckoning Marco to sit on the chair opposite them.

"Please sit down, Marco. We need to talk." Angie said sternly. Marco shriveled into the seat, both out of fear he messed something up and residual disorientation from his own internal unease.

"Mom, dad, what's going on? Did… did I mess up your anniversary? I'm so, so sor-"

" _No_ Marco, never, dear. We just… wanted to make sure everything was OK with you," Angie responded, taking Rafael's hand in her own. "You've seemed off lately, and tonight at dinner you zoned out for ten minutes! Is… is there something going on between you and Star? Please, honey, we're worried about you."

"What, no! Star's great, we're great..." Marco had no trouble speaking these words honestly; he and Star had never been _better_ than in the past half-year. He'd been gaining more and more respect as a valiant knight of the kingdom in recent months, Star's progression as a future queen had made even Moon express sincere pride, and he and Star had... definitely made advances in their relationship as well. Marco cut off that train of thought quickly as he searched for the proper words to continue, but found none.

"You're great, but?" Rafael inquired as he leaned in curiously.

Running his hands through his hair, Marco let out a deep sigh and sunk farther into his chair, his head tilting back. A framed photo on the wall above him caught his eye: he and Star, in _incredibly_ decadent formalwear, from the Silver Bell Ball only three months ago. After Marco had progressed to knighthood, he had been allowed to attend the annual event alongside her - much to Marco's surprise, as nothing he'd read about Mewnian royal traditions mentioned such an allowance. Star's primary role at the event was still dancing with all the other royals, of course (which Tom had teased him about for weeks until the day Janna overheard and dragged Marco into an impromptu, rather _sensuous_ rumba right in from of his three outraged eyes). He knew it was only a formality, but nonetheless that dichotomy between himself and royalty planted the seed that had blossomed into his current distress.

"It's- it's just that stuff is changing, you know? Star's a princess, and I'm her knight, and it's _peaceful_. At least as much as anything ever is with us. But it can't stay like that forever, and it's just got me thinking, and I don't know what to do! I love her so, so much, you know that, but I-" his voice cracked as his composure gave out, a harsh sob choking out the rest of his sentence.

Angie pulled him into a tight hug, her own eyes starting to water as well. "Marco, honey, please don't cry. I had no idea…"

"Do you… are you thinking about… asking her to-" Rafael chose his words slowly and deliberately while leaning in to join Marco and Angie's embrace.

"WHAT?" Marco recoiled hard enough that his parents both let go, leaning back to meet his panicked eyes. "No, I couldn't! I mean, I don't even know if I'd be _allowed_ , there's technically nothing in the rules preventing it, but even… even _if_ I tried, there are still so many other hurdles… this is exactly what I'm afraid of! Everything is so different, and so _hard_ , and no matter how good of a knight I am, I'm still a dumb Earth kid in a powerful magic kingdom."

Rafael gripped his shoulders firmly, but his visage was soft and comforting as he chuckled. "Marco, son, I've only heard about it secondhand and I'm still sure you've done more for Mewni than most of the people who have lived their whole lifetime there!"

"I know, dad, but… I don't feel like I _really_ belong there, and I'm scared because I don't know what's going to happen," Marco whispered as if each word caused him physical pain. Angie grabbed his face and forced him to meet her maternal gaze.

"What's going to happen is that Star will _keep loving_ _you_ , Marco. I won't lie to you; all these things you're talking about, with royal traditions, and princess… I can't help you there, and it breaks my heart. But I've watched the two of you grow so much, and I can at least promise you that what you have isn't going to be broken apart by some by some silly rules and regulations. Star would make sure of _that_."

The corners of Marco's mouth rose in a slight smile as he got out of his chair to give hug both of his parents. "Yeah, you're right, we… we can handle this. I love you guys. I'll go clean up the kitchen, I don't want you spending your _entire_ anniversary doting on me."

Marco's nerves finally began to calm as he approached the sink and meditatively focused on rinsing and drying the large assortment of cookware used for the elaborate feast, having finally drawn the connection that had escaped him since dinner. Jackie was right at the dance, of course. Sure, his insecurities that night didn't _disappear_ , but choosing Star over his own crippling fears then had been one of the best decisions he'd ever made, and his parents' talk tonight struck that same chord. All the obstacles might still be there, but if they tackled them together, nothing could stand in their way.

He was beginning to make his way to his room, leaving his parents to enjoy their quality time curled up on the couch with a movie, when the doorbell rang.

"Seriously? At this hour?" Marco opened the door, ready to give a piece of his mind, but he was greeted by a blunt object smacking him in the face. After being stunned momentarily, he prepared to lash out at the unknown attacker, but stopped short when he saw what it was: a winged barrel, meowing as it flew away into the night. Marco chuckled as he picked up the projectile that he now knew was a delivery from Star. Taking it up to his room, he momentarily set it aside as he got ready for an early slumber, having been emotionally drained by the evening's events.

"Alright, Star, let's see what you got me." He pulled out a note, written in energetic, neon blue cursive.

" _Hey Marco,_

 _Found your bunny! It took me a while, I did_ not _understand your organizational system at all. Why was it in the S-Z drawer! It's a_ _bunny_ _named_ _Bunny_ _fly for crying out loud!"_

"Oh my god, I filed her under 'wubbie.'" Marco muttered as he slapped his forehead in frustration at his blunder before continuing.

" _Don't eat anything big for lunch tomorrow because I have something special planned for dinner. See you then!_

 _Love,  
Star_

 _P.S.  
Check the bottom of the box_."

Marco raised an eyebrow at the dinner plans as he pulled out Bunnyfly and found what was beneath. He warily picked up the item - a light blue, Kabuki-style wooden fan. He opened it up to find the words "Miss you!" with a very un-princess-like picture of Star underneath. Marco's eyes widened as he absorbed the view, but his ears picked up a pattern that dashed any fledgling fantasies. He snapped the fan shut and groaned discontentedly as his head hit the pillow. His substitute cuddle buddy would normally do in a pinch (especially with the extra gift providing pleasant dreams), but he had a feeling he'd be at a loss for quality sleep anyway tonight.

A feeling that was consistently reinforced by the steady thumping sound coming from his parents' room down the hall.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Author's Note: This was a doozy to write, both on my emotions and on my free time - never been great at writing _quickly_. This is likely on the longer end of individual chapters, but updates might still slow a bit (once per week or so) once the semester begins. Hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Step

"I love you too."

He vanished through the portal, leaving Star to her Mewnian duties for the was fine, right? It was only one night, and Star _was_ the one that told him he'd be better off on Earth. She knew that it shouldn't be a big deal, that it _wasn't_ a big deal, but it rekindled the flames of her earlier worries. Might this be foreshadowing of their destiny? He had chosen Mewni, knighthood, and _her_ over and over again, but the next step she could foresee wasn't to be taken lightly. The decision would have to be a lot more… permanent this time, and one that would definitely require far more sacrifices than any made previously.

Queen Moon handled the lion's share of operating the kingdom by herself while King River served as the coals keeping her fiery resolve alight - an important task, to be sure, but not one that necessarily resulted in an even split in time commitment. His Johansen nature fit perfectly into this role, craving any moment of freedom from stuffy regal monotony. The end result was a wonderful harmony between the monarchs. Star's situation, she knew, was much different. Marco was a steadfast presence at her side through all of her work as a princess; a future without him as a partner, an _equal_ in all things but perhaps title, seemed unfathomable. He had sworn to her "so long as we both shall live" once, sure… but they had only been 15! Star certainly hadn't taken the true implications of that oath to heart when she said it - it was a rocky time for both of them, and she just wanted to make him feel welcome. Many months later, when they had finally sorted through all the confusion in their hearts, the resemblance of her words to a certain _other_ type of vow struck her. Had he truly understood those ramifications when he accepted the pledge, or did he similarly overlook the underlying meaning of the words?

She was startled by a gentle but firm knock on Marco's door. "Star, darling, are you prepared for dinner?"

"Oh, uh, juuuuust a sec, Mom." Star darted over to Marco's mirror to ensure she looked presentable after their playful skirmish. She adjusted her headband and smoothed out her blue narwhal dress before shuffling over to the door, opening it to see her mother waiting patiently.

Moon's lips curled into a slight frown as she asked, "Is everything alright, Star?" Dammit. She'd tried to suppress any lingering traces of worry on her face, but her mother could read her like a book.

"Yeah, just… kinda sad that Marco's gone for a while. And there's the boring festival tomorrow... yeah." Star bit her lip and looked away, hoping the half-truths were enough to end the conversation before it began. She could feel her mother's soft but stern gaze trained on her, but after a seemingly endless moment of silence, Moon seemed to accept the answer and turned to leave for the dining room, Star following a moment later.

They arrived only to find River already tearing voraciously into a pile of drumsticks. Star giggled and Moon rolled her eyes as they sat down, River just beginning to notice their presence over the mountain of food in front of him. "Moon Pie! Star! Sorry, I was going to wait but I was famished… I need my energy for the festival, you know!"

Star snorted and pointed an ear of corn at him as she finished loading up her plate. "Dad, you _do_ know that most of your job tomorrow is eating, right?" She raised her chin and began reciting from memory in an overly formal tone, "'The king shall consume every hundredth ear of corn to symbolize the fertility of the fields and the sustenance Corntessa provides to the people of Mewni.' We do this every year."

"Hrmm, well, yes, must have slipped my mind…" River trailed off and suddenly became transfixed with the patterns on his meat blanket as Star looked over at her mother and smirked.

"So, dear, you mentioned Marco being gone for a while?" Moon inquired, cutting up her modest portion of chicken.

River perked up, clearly grateful for the shift in topic. "Ah, yes, I recall overhearing something about that myself. It's a shame, I was hoping he might like to assist me for the festival tomorrow. You know your old man's still got it, but I admit the harvest has been quite bountiful this year and I can't handle all that corn as easily as I used to. Besides, it's probably in his best interest to start practicing, you know! It won't be _that_ many years until-"

Star felt a blush overwhelm her as she stared down at her plate and poked at her food, hearing a thump from under the table as her father went silent. River looked incredulously at Moon, who subtly indicated Star's reaction - not quite subtly enough to escape Star's notice, however. The talking stilled for a moment before Moon cleared her throat; Star finally looked up at her mother, who raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting a reply to the previous line of questioning.

"Oh, yeah, uh, it's his parents' 20th wedding anniversary so they were having a special dinner and wanted Marco to be home for that. I think they wanted him to help with some stuff around the house tomorrow, so he'll be back after the festival." She plastered a smile on her face and tried to inject more levity into her voice, but it still wavered as her mind was reeling from her father's outburst. Among the various people and groups involved in ruling the kingdom, River had been one of the most vocal supporters of Marco, and this was certainly not the _first_ time he had alluded to Marco's possible future as his successor, but while Star and Marco might have tentatively laughed it off in the past, she just couldn't shake it as easily tonight. The dinner sank back into relative silence, only the clinking of silverware and chewing of food remaining.

"Now that I think of it, has Marco had some other commitments on Earth recently?" River asked as he polished off his current helping.

"Huh? What do you mean, Dad?"

"On one or two occasions I've stopped by to see if he wanted to partake in some spur-of-the-moment night hunting; you know how it is, those Narinthian tar beasts are devils unless you catch them off guard while they sleep, hah! But to my surprise he wasn't in his room! I figured he was off doing something or other on Earth, but the hunts are always so intense I never remember to bring it up afterwards."

His attention moved to the assortment of desserts the staff had laid on the table as Star began to panic. Did he not know about her and Marco's current… arrangement? Had her mom not informed him about the situation from months back? She hadn't directly talked to him about it, but given how big a deal it had seemed at the time she had just assumed… She glanced up at her mom, who was stealthily putting a finger to her lips. " _Well, duh, Mom! I wasn't going to tell him_ now _!_ "

"Marco is…" Star trailed off as her mind whirred to generate a good excuse, finally settling on something she deemed passable. "...taking some karate lessons, yeah! No one really knows it on Mewni and he doesn't usually have time during the day so he sometimes goes to Earth for some night classes! He likes all the knight stuff, of course, but karate is just more 'Marco', y'know?"

"Say no more, I'm quite familiar with the need to engage in fisticuffs instead of all that formal hoopla with 'weapons' and 'armor' and all that junk. If he ever needs a sparring partner, send him my way for a tussle, haha!"

"Sure, Dad! Alright, well, I'm _stuffed_ , so I'll go get my wand and we can head out to the festival site for the final prep, okay Mom?" Star's eyes met Moon's for the first time that evening, and Moon hesitated a second before slowly nodding in agreement. Star scooted her chair back and nervously shuffled out of the room, but she failed to notice that that concerned gaze remained locked on to her as she left.

* * *

"Colorful Canvas Creation!"

Moon looked down at her daughter, who was putting up the final tent needed for the Corn Count Carnival, from the newly-constructed seating area for the royal family. The queen let the gentle breeze sail lazily over her face as she closed her eyes and enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation, one where she was not required to guide, or lead, or _rule_.

" _Perhaps more common as of late,"_ she mused, once again fondly regarding her shining Star adding flamboyant decorations all over the various structures. In the last few years, Star had come into her own as a Princess of Mewni - perhaps not the type of princess Moon might have wanted once upon a time, but one that surpassed her expectations in ways she never thought possible. Much as Star had grown, Moon too had made great strides as a _mother_ and not just as the Queen. Their bond, forged from this halfway point between themselves and their royal roles, was one they both treasured, and even with all its ups and downs the last three years of teaching (and learning from) her daughter were the most rewarding in her life.

Moon hadn't needed this deeper understanding of Star to know that something more was going on the moment she opened her bedroom door earlier. While it almost certainly involved Marco, there had been a distinct lack of the frustrated screams (and sometimes spells) that always accompanied their lovers' quarrels. Moon had silently puzzled over this until the moment River mentioned Marco's future, when it instantly clicked in her mind. She was intimately familiar with how frightening it felt to be thrust into prominence as a royal of Mewni, which applied doubly for someone without a childhood full of preparation for the role. Even at 14 years old, before their relationship had blossomed into unmistakable love, Star had demonstrated that she cared about Marco more than anything, including her magic or her duties as a princess; it was no wonder that she was so distressed over his future.

"Alright, Mom, everything's set up!"

Moon put aside her contemplations without missing a beat. "Alright, dear, there's one last thing I need you to do. Would you come up here for a moment?"

Yellow wings erupted from Star's back as she transformed briefly into her butterfly form to fly up to the seats. Moon beckoned for Star to sit in the seat directly next to her.

"Is everything OK, Mom?" Star asked as she sat down.

"I think I should be the one asking you that same question, dear."

"N-nothing's wrong! Everything is totally fine with me and Marco!"

"I don't recall saying anything about Marco." Star froze as Moon reached out and gently touched her shoulder. "Please just _talk_ to me, Star."

Star inhaled deeply and spent a moment in silence before finally looking at her mother. "It's just… I've heard all the stuff said around the castle, and by the townspeople, and even from _Dad_ , and I'm worried, OK?"

"...about Marco's capability?"

Star bristled as though she'd been slapped. "What? Hell no! It's not that at all! Sometimes I think he's better at all this than _I_ even am… but it's a lot to ask. I don't get a choice, and I'm fine with that, but he does and it's a big deal and he might not want to and I need him and-" Her voice caught in her throat.

Moon gracefully lunged forward to wrap her daughter in a tight embrace, patting her head as she felt some dampness on her shoulder.

"Shhh, it's alright, my Star." Nothing more was said until the Star's sobs died down minutes later.

Star took a few slow, deep breaths to regain her composure. "How… how did you and Dad deal with this? With the whole-" She grimaced and shut her eyes as she dug deep to find the resolve to finish the sentence, but Moon could see that no force on Mewni could drag the words from her heart to her lips.

Moon spared her the agony. "I'll admit, it was different. You already know I became Queen before your father and I got together, although he was certainly instrumental in my success and stability much as Marco is for you. Given that River came from a royal family, he was of course in the same position as I was - as you are, now, too. But the most stunning difference between our situations, as far as I can see, is that what you and Marco have together is something truly magnificent, Star, the likes of which I have never seen."

Star dreamily smiled for a brief moment, but as the realization struck her the smile contorted into an indignant glower. "Wait, but you and Dad-"

Moon shushed her once again and coolly continued, "I recall that era of my life vividly. I was scarcely an adult when the the crown was thrust upon my head. Your dearest father was one of the most supportive people in my life, and we did truly love each other then as we do now. When the time came that I felt the same pressure you're feeling now, I was nervous about each and every thing that could go wrong. But the most harrowing question in my mind was whether our bond would survive the hellishness of the life I had to lead. How it still has after all these years eludes me at times. I can't say it will be easy for you, or that there are no concerns you should have, but from the very bottom of my heart I can tell you that you _never_ need to have that same apprehension with Marco. You… you have no idea how much comfort it brings me that my daughter won't have to endure _that_ hardship."

Moon's voice broke on the last line, threatening to shatter her regal poise. The tears brimming in her eyes were mirrored by Star's, who had been hanging on every word as though it were a royal proclamation; in truth, Moon considered this _more_ important than any speeches delivered as Queen of Mewni.

"Mom… I… you're _right_ , you're so right, I should know that, but-"

Moon gently brushed the stray hairs away from Star's face, her hand lingering on the cheek emblem, barely visible beneath the ruddy hue of her skin from the cold breeze. Hearts: the perfect fit for the young woman who felt affection, animosity, and anxiety with every fiber of her being.

"It's still difficult and stressful, I'm well aware. A mother's greatest joy in life is seeing her child happy, but this applies to fear and doubt as well. Nothing in my power can erase this pain, Star, but know that I'm always here for you should you need me to lend you an ear."

"Mommy… what should I do?"

Gazing deep into Star's soul, Moon saw not the valiant young woman that was poised to lead their kingdom into a new era, nor the fiery spirit that fueled drove her passions as much as her recklessness, but instead the timid girl who didn't, _couldn't_ love herself as others did. There was only one person that could spark a glimmer of hope that deep in Star's spirit, where Moon knew she couldn't.

"By no means is this simple solution, and it's certainly a departure from your usual habits, but perhaps a good starting point might be some Mewnian courting customs. Most are designed for nobles to become familiar initially, but there are certainly a few somewhat more suited for your… _unusual_ situation, relatively speaking."

Star leaned back in shock, cocking an eyebrow incredulously. "Wait, like, _courting_ courting? Doesn't that make things really 'official?' Even when I was with Tom we never started anything like that, and he's a prince!"

"Not necessarily, dear. You'd be surprised how much flexibility there is, largely due to all the prior queens who add in their ideas of what courting should be without truly invalidating the past traditions. Some of them can be, dare I say, fun at times."

"Something from the ancient Mewnian tomes is _fun_? Liar! _Guards!_ This woman is an impostor claiming to be the Queen!" Star mimicked a shout, smirking as she kept her voice at normal volume. Moon laughed softly, relieved to see Star joyous again. "So you think it might help with the whole… strain around this?"

"If nothing else, it would be a bridge between your current relationship and something a bit more formal, but overall I think it would be good for you. Your father and I definitely benefited from them on the whole, although you should have seen him during a handful of the stricter rituals. On at least one occasion he was so nervous that he forgot to breathe for five whole minutes! When I leaned in to remind him, he nearly blew me over with his frantic gasping for air."

Star's visage brightened as she joined her mother in chuckling at her father's goofy antics, but a mere moment later she suddenly halted, going bug-eyed.

"Uh, speaking of Dad… about dinner… does he not know?"

"River is…" For once the words didn't come effortlessly to the eloquent Queen of Mewni, as she struggled to carefully pick the right ones for this sensitive topic. "...he wouldn't have been reasonable about it, Star. He can't really understand it. Obviously he never had to go through it _himself_ , but perhaps even more importantly, we never had to deal with the same… impulses at that point in our lives. It just wasn't who we were - who _I_ was. But please know this, dear: I don't think anything less of you for it, and neither would your father. I know that it was necessary and I trust you and Marco. River does too, in his own way but this would have been different, trust me on that."

"Yeah, I get it. Should probably talk to him at some point before he, uh, finds out on his own." Star floundered, the blush on her face clearly no longer from the cold. She shook her head and regained her mental footing. " _Anyway_ , that- that might work. The whole courting thing. Thanks. Is there some kinda book for it?"

"Yes, I'll have Manfred deliver it to you whenever you want it."

"I kinda wanna start reading tonight, I'm curious now. Shoot, that reminds me I still need to find a thing Marco left and send it to him. Alright, I'll take the book and read it after that," Star said all in one quick breath, clearly still distracted trying to process all the delicate issues they had just opened their hearts about. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to center herself. "Thanks again, Mom. This was- it means the world to me."

"It's my pleasure, Star. Now it's getting quite late. Let's head back, shall we?"

Star gave her mother a quick hug, which she happily returned, before flying back down to the ground for a final inspection of the festival setup. Moon remained seated, the warm smile on her face fading as she sunk back into thought. Her mind was, oddly enough, pulled back to her youth when she was freshly appointed as Mewni's ruler in a dire time of war. The last few decades of her life had been guided by her cool, calculating aura of confidence and strength, but right now as she buried her head in her hands she resonated more with the helplessness she felt at that lowest point in her life. All she could do now was hope that, against what an outsider might deem insurmountable odds, Star and Marco could overcome this hurdle together. Moon stood up and smiled, shaking those feelings off as she descending the stairs gracefully to join Star in taking a portal back to the castle.

If the past few years had taught her anything, it's that those two were more than deserving of her confidence that they would.

* * *

Author's Note: First off, I apologize greatly for the massive delay in this chapter. The beginning of my semester has been crazy for numerous reasons, and coupled with massive writer's block, I struggled with this chapter for quite a while. I hope to have the next one out within about 10 days or so, and then to try and pick up a schedule of 2-4 updates per month. Writing quickly has never been a skill of mine and while I'm very much hoping it improves over the course of this story, it's definitely taking its toll on me now. Hope you all enjoyed!

Also, a big thanks to **Jack Coffison** for plugging my story in his own, you're too kind. Please check out his fic _Marcocrushed_ which explores Marco's heartbreak in 3A in a way my heart can barely take - that's why I just skip ahead to the future where Star and Marco can be happy :P

 **Review Responses:**

 **Allen:** I'm glad you like Janna, because this fic isn't done with her yet...  
 **Michi:** Plenty more cheese to come :P  
 **Jack:** We already talked a bunch but I want to thank you again for your kind words. Here's that look into Star's mind that you were interested in (with more to come, of course).  
 **zeldex/Absent/guest:** Took longer than I wanted to produce more to read but hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Doze

A pinprick of light shone through the window. Then two, then three, and then so many her eyes were forced open. The second thing Star noticed as her senses awoke was the blaring of her alarm, oddly muffled. Still entangled in the sheets, she fumbled around for the source of the sound only to find her phone buried underneath her torso. She flipped it off, breathing a sigh of relief as her other arm landed on something large next to her. Star shifted herself to better wrap her arms around it.

"Mmm, good morning MarcOOOO! OW OW OW!" The edge of a yellowed piece of paper sliced her finger, obliterating any remaining sleepiness as she whimpered and nursed the wound. The object of her attempted affection was, much to her dismay, _not_ the boy she had expected out of habit; a massive tome resided there instead, ornately decorated and sprawling open across the other half of her bed. Memories from the night before came flooding back into Star's mind as she stared at the paragraphs and diagrams in front of her. Long hours poring over the book had led to short hours of rest, which felt even shorter due to the combined frustrations she was feeling and lack of strong yet comforting arms anchoring her as she drifted off into dreamland. It wasn't without purpose, however: Star had taken her mother's advice and found a particular tradition she thought might be a good way to introduce Marco into her birthright in a more… _official_ capacity. She'd left him a message about her plans before she even finalized them, just to be _certain_ fears echoing in her mind throughout the day he was gone wouldn't make her back out at the last second.

Star's face heated up as she recalled the _other_ item she sent to Earth. They'd been so busy lately with some revolts against peaceful monsters and other kingdom affairs that by evening they'd be running on fumes, collapsing into slumber early in the night. She missed him, missed _them_ … in more ways than one. Which definitely hadn't lead to that other gift. Not at all. A pillow smacked her in the face as some unconscious part of her brain apparently decided to forcefully snap the rest of her out of it before she got too deep into that train of thought. She couldn't afford to get lost in fantasy before the festival...

" _Dammit, the festival!"_ Star panicked and grasped her wand, firing blasts all over the room. Various dresses and other fashion accessories began floating over towards her, creating a semi-automated wardrobe that allowed her to get fully prepared in only a few minutes. The curlers floated out of her hair as she strapped her white boots on, and she checked everything in the mirror one last time. Her typical style for official Mewnian events had evolved throughout the years from the pastels of Song Day or the navy of the Silver Bell Ball to a vibrant sky blue - both to fit in more with her parents, as she took a role more alongside them than beneath them within the kingdom, and to complement the official outfit designed for Marco in his rather _unusual_ role within the kingdom. _"That won't matter today, though."_ She gave herself a listless smile and sighed, turning around to leave the room and meet up with her parents.

"Mom? Dad?" She glanced around the throne room from which they were supposed to depart for the carnival. Not in the lobby either. Mom's office? The ballroom? As she bolted through the corridors, she heard a ruckus and dashed towards its source: River, face-down on the dining room table, snoring so loudly it could have masked a small explosive.

"Dad?" Star hesitantly approached her father, knowing from experience the dangers of startling a Johansen.

"No, my dearzzzzz… I did not consume the entire kitchen's supply of pork loinszzzzz… it must have been a thiefzzzzz… or maybe a very large ratzzzzz…" River continued grumbling in his sleep as she inched closer and closer, finally working up the nerve to poke his cheek. He didn't react, so she tried a few more times until his eyes snapped open as he leapt out of his chair to stand on the table. "A challenge to combat! Aha! Take that, Salivary! Wait, where am I?" He frantically spun around to gather his bearings, locking eyes with Star. "Oh, good morning, sweetie, what are you doing up so early?"

"Early? The sun's already up!"

"It was daylight savings last night."

Star blinked a few times before groaning and slumping into the nearest chair. Of all the innovations Mewni picked up from Earth in the last few years, this was her least favorite. Indoor plumbing was _such_ a quality-of-life upgrade, the Internet was definitely an… interesting experience, to say the least, but this? All it's done so far is cost Star a precious hour of sleep. _"Why did Marco have to tell them about this 'practical idea to help farmers' again? Most of them don't even_ have _clocks!"_

"You look dreadfully tired, Star. That meal last night knocked me out so early, I've been sleeping like a baby for the last 12 hours! Until breakfast, of course. Speaking of that, I ate so much I could use another nap myselfzzzzz…" And with that, River conked out once more on the table. Star rolled her eyes and yawned. She'd spent enough time on preparations that she didn't want to ruin the outfit and hair by tossing and turning on a bed. She found a more comfortable chair in the hallway just outside the dining room and curled up, glancing around her. This area of the castle displayed all the various weaponry and armor of the knights of the Butterfly Kingdom, and her gaze locked on to a blunt staff used for training. Star tried to sift through her mind to recall why that seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it before she began to doze off.

* * *

"Hmm, he might like a staff." Star paced back and forth, occasionally checking one of the yellowed parchments on the table in front of her. "But maybe it's too long? He's not as used to large weapons, they balance differently. Maybe something smaller. What if he wants the practice? Should we-" Star was stopped in her tracks as a pair of pointed fingers gripped her shoulders and spun her around.

Hekapoo smirked and rolled her eyes, nodding at the table beside them. "Star, chill, seriously. All this stuff is really crude magic, I can do so much better with your help. Can probably fit three or four weapons into those babies and keep it stable, although they couldn't be _too_ crazy. Solid objects without moving parts only." She spun the blue handle of the scissors around her finger, the gold blades glimmering in the dim light from her flame, but stopped when she was slapped in the back of the head.

A second Hekapoo appeared from behind her and snatched the scissors. "Give those back, I was prepping them for the transfigurations. And what the hell do you mean, ' _four of them'?_ That's too risky, it might-"

"Yeah, yeah, it could destabilize after too many quick changes, I get it," the original said, waving her hand dismissively at her clone. "Marco would be careful, the kid's always mindful, even under pressure."

"But anything of his is probably going to get used by this one at some point," the clone retorted, throwing an arm around Star, at which the princess quickly recoiled.

Star threw her hands up in exasperation. "Alright, fine! I get it! Just make it as safe as it needs to be. Marco's becoming a knight, and I don't know what all duties he'll have or what type of combat he'll face, and karate won't always be enough. This needs to be perfect."

"Are you telling me Muscles isn't good enough with his hands?" The two Hekapoos chided in unison.

"Not what I meant, _H-Poo_ ," Star shot back with an unintended ferocity, her face instantly glowing red. She was used to this type of ribbing - she was friends with Janna, after all - but it struck a nerve tonight.

In the almost two years since she and Marco had sorted out their feelings once and for all, their bond had grown so strong that Star couldn't imagine existing without him by her side as a life partner and her anchor in times of distress. In recent months, however, that same bond had stumbled forward in some more _physical_ aspects, but every time passion drove them one step forward it felt like their hesitancy and anxiety shuttled them two steps back. Considering they'd just had another one of these incidents a few nights ago involving Marco's hands, leaving Star unsatisfied and irritated with herself for wavering…

Yeah, it was pretty obvious why the taunt bugged her.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she motioned back towards the table, throwing her hands up in exasperation. The focus for tonight was on the upcoming knighting ceremony.

The original Hekapoo, who had given Star some space for a few minutes after her outburst, approached her once more with a glum countenance. "So, uh, Star, bad news. One of me was digging through some rules and it's required for all Mewnian knights to have a sword and a spear available, so that's two of the three options taken. Unless you want him to just carry extra weapons, but I kinda thought avoiding that was the whole _point_ of doing this in the first place."

Star sighed in frustration, more with herself and the past few weeks than the conundrum just posed to her. "No, that's fine, I should have figured something like that would happen. Thanks again for helping with this, it means a ton to me, and I know it will to Marco too."

"It's the least I can do for you two after, well, _everything_. The clones are starting work on the spear now, they'll tell you when they need some of your patented Butterfly magic. Let me know when you've thought of a final weapon for Mr. Sword-Hand Man." The trickster snickered, idly pulling out her own dimensional scissors and separating them, spinning the individual handles around her fingers. The light from the magic going on across the room cast a glare that gave the illusion of a tether connecting the two swinging halves. An idea sparked in Star's mind as her eyes widened.

"Actually, I think I know just the thing…"

* * *

"Star? Star? Star!"

Her eyes fluttered open to see the face of her mother in front of her.

"Star, dear, we're leaving soon. Are you ready?"

Star's initial response was a yawn as she reoriented herself after her rather vivid dream recalling events from nearly a year ago. "Yeah, got ready a while ago. Long night, sorry," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and standing up. Moon brushed aside a stray hair from Star's face, giving her a sympathetic smile which Star returned.

"Alright, let's not dilly-dally any longer then." They crossed the room to find River and Manfred, the latter of which led them to the carriage. As they began their travel, the bumpy road prevented Star from getting some much-needed rest, a fact that she lamented with an audible grumble at each jostling of the seat. Fortunately the ride was fairly short, and the trumpets heralded the arrival of the royal family to the festival grounds. Star put on her best game face, smiling and waving in a dignified manner. The royal family climbed up to the elevated box for their seating, with Moon standing in the center to commence the festival.

"Greetings, people on Mewni, today is a wondrous day for us all. We give thanks to the Corn Goddess, Corntessa, for the bountiful harvests of the nourishment that keeps us all. Let us begin the traditional opening carol!" The voices of the crowd picked up as they began to chant in harmony.

"Oh mighty Corntessa we lend you an ear,  
The kernels of truth of your love we hold dear.  
Without your compassion we would be but husks,  
Cobless and jobless from dawn until dusk…"

Star's eyes began to droop once more as she attempted to started to lower her voice, mouthing the words to blend in with the crowd. _"How many stupid verses are there?"_ she mentally groaned as the song continued on and on, her lips sealing shut as she stopped processing the words entirely. River's snoring from the other side of Moon reached Star's ears, rousing her from her near-slumber. Her giggling turned into laughter when her father started drooling as well, only to find that her mother - as well as most of the gathered crowd - was staring at her, now silent.

Moon motioned for Star to sit with a stern gaze while pushing her husband into his chair behind her back. Turning back towards the crowd, she resumed her composed, dutiful demeanor. "Now for the first of the Seven Blessings, we will have a joust!"

" _Don't fall asleep, Star."_

"Two of our bravest Knights of Solaria will compete to demonstrate the vitality and vigor that is instilled in our people."

" _Mom will get suuuper mad."_

"The second Blessing will, of course, feature the Knights of Soupina performing some interpretive dance…"

" _This cushion feels really comfy right now…"_

"...to the delightful tunes of our bard, Ruberiot."

" _zzzzz…"_

* * *

"Celena!"

"The Knights of Celena swear to stay hidden as a last line of specially trained defense vs attackers and carry out covert operations as necessary."

"Solaria!"

"The Knights of Solaria are fierce warriors who serve as the primary army in any wars waged by the kingdom, and up until just _recently_ were in charge of offensives against monsters. Now they help defend monsters in need."

"Wow, we _totally_ didn't know that one, Marco." Star giggled, watching her squire pace around the room wringing his hands. "You literally wrote some of the book on it. OK, last one. Festivia!"

"The Knights of Festivia protect the royal supplies of mead and wine and are in charge of setup and planning for any balls or other formal parties. Are you sure that's the last one? Let's go over them one more time-"

Star stopped him in his tracks, grabbing on to his gold shoulder tassels and holding him at arm's length. She surveyed his royal blue jacket, studded with medals for his accomplishments during his more than two year tenure on Mewni. "Marco, you had these all completely memorized a week ago. I know you're nervous, but you'll be fine."

"We don't even know where I'll be assigned! I- I just want to make sure I'm ready for whatever happens. A lot of the knight factions are pretty intense, I don't know if I can keep up."

"Mom and Dad wouldn't make you do anything they didn't know you could handle. You know that." He ran his hands over his face and hair, starting to turn away until Star moved her hands up to cup his face. "I believe in you. That's all that matters. We can handle it." She pecked him on the lips for a fleeting moment, glowing with pride at her soulmate, boyfriend, and squire, ready to receive one of the highest honors Mewni had to offer. "Now let's go get you knighted."

Manfred stepped into view, beckoning Star to follow him. Marco grabbed her hand as she was walking away, startling her as he pulled her into his arms. The embrace ended seconds later, the pair wordlessly beaming at each other as Star backed away to join her family for the ceremony.

Only a room away, she found them waiting behind a curtain, all three in decadent royal blue attire; usually knighting ceremonies such as this were formal, of course, but Star couldn't remember the last time they pulled out all the stops like this. She peeked out into the small crowd, searching for familiar faces. Most of the attendees were knights of the kingdom, including Buff Frog in his joint position alongside the rebranded Knights of Solaria. Kelly and Tom were seated near Mr. and Mrs. Diaz; Kelly and Mrs. Diaz were laughing together while Tom idly twirled a ball of fire around his finger and Mr. Diaz glanced around at all the decor excitedly. Even the Magical High Commission was in full attendance in their own special seats. The trumpets signaled the start of the ceremony, causing Star to yelp and hastily back up into her parents.

"Don't you worry, Star, the lad is going to be the finest knight this kingdom has seen!" River boomed, clapping her on the back.

" _Of course he'll succeed, he's a better princess than_ me _half the time_ ," Star mused, biting her lip. Neither of them had any idea where he'd be positioned within the kingdom, which could lead to isolation from her, or potentially worse. She grimaced as some particularly gruesome accidents in Mewnian knighthood lore came to mind, but she fortunately was not able to dwell on them for long.

" **...the Queen, King, and Princess of Mewni!** " Moon nudged Star's arm as their cue reverberated throughout the venue, the royals striding with poise through the curtains and down the walkway towards the main stage. Marco had already taken his place to the side of the stage and gave Star a tight smile when their eyes met. Once they arrived, Moon took the central position to begin the ceremony.

"Today marks a momentous occasion for the Butterfly Kingdom," Moon began. "I could not be more proud of the young man being brought into the service of knighthood. Although his pathway there was certainly _unusual_ , and probably skirted a few laws along the way…" She paused as the the noise in the crowd rose: some laughter, but also grumbling from some of the knights. When she began speaking again, the crowd instantly silenced. "I believe with all my heart that Marco Diaz has earned every honor bestowed upon him, and it gives me great pleasure to offer him a position within our ranks tonight. Would he please join me at this time?" She turned to Marco, who bolted upwards so quickly that he stumbled, catching himself at the last second. The crowd tittered causing Marco to break out in a visible sweat over his gaffe.

" _Come on, Marco, we practiced this_ ," Star trained her gaze the most important person in her life, about to undergo one of the most important moments in his own. His shaky legs steadied, making their way to the step in front of the Queen as he spared a glance at Star, swallowing once before taking a knee and closing his eyes.

"I, Marco Ubaldo Diaz of Earth, pledge myself to the Butterfly Kingdom and to the Queen and King ruling over it. My dedication to the kingdom and all within shall not waver and I will perform my duties with valor. Please accept these words as proof of my fealty in your service."

A light blue blade of pure magical energy emerged from Moon's hand, forcing anyone looking at it to squint at the blinding flash. Star refocused her vision on her mother's face, the firm regal glare harboring a hidden warmth that most wouldn't recognize. As the Queen placed the blade on his shoulders, Star's own swelling pride was much more obvious.

"I accept your oath and dub thee Sir Marco Diaz. Arise, knight."

As Marco stood, a pair of hoots and hollers echoed in the following silence causing everyone in attendance to turn toward the culprits: Angie and Rafael Diaz, waving Mewnian flags in celebration. Star squirmed where she stood: she and Marco had forgotten to brief them on the program, hadn't they? Marco's parents went silent and drooped back into their seats, furiously blushing. River stepped forward as Moon took his former spot, the king gripping the shoulders of the young man in front of him who, at the age of 17, was now a full head above him.

Star blinked a few droplets away from her eyes, born from equal parts joy and apprehension. She'd supported Marco through all his training and they both knew how important it was to him, but the prospect of Marco getting swept up in duties to the kingdom pounded in her ears, a hauntingly familiar dirge from their earlier teenage years.

As the staredown continued, until River violently picked him up into a bear hug. "First, let me say welcome to the Butterfly Kingdom, my boy! I always knew you'd be a part of it one way or-" Moon cleared her throat loudly, causing River to instantly set him down. "Yes, of course. Now, it is my honor to announce Sir Marco's placement within the ranks of the knighthood. Our proud tradition is to assign a knight to particular duties, and we know that Marco would make a fine candidate for any of them. He even had a brief stint under the Knights of the Wash once upon a time and performed admirably! Now as you all know, each queen that has ruled over this kingdom has knights serving in her honor, representing the best of what she brought to Mewni. As my _own_ dearest Queen mentioned, Marco's time here on Mewni has bent a lot of rules, but he also helped see our fair kingdom through some of its darkest times; therefore I do not see a reason to straighten the policies out quite yet. So with that, I am proud to announce a new order of the knights of the Butterfly Kingdom."

" _What?_ " Star's gaze whipped back and forth between the abnormally calm and collected River and a bug-eyed Marco, who was visibly swallowing down his shock and confusion.

"I believe that each and every knight should serve the kingdom to their fullest potential, and that we must provide the means to do so should they not exist. Therefore, Sir Diaz, I inaugurate you as the first Knight of Star!"

Cheering from the audience faded under the din of Star's heartbeat throbbing in her ears. Did she hear that correctly? _Mom_ , of all people, was letting this slide? In the midst of her whirling thoughts, she was vaguely aware that her father was motioning her to join him; she shuffled over, still numb from the upheaval of her expectations. An orange portal opened up in front of her and an ivory hand extended through it, holding out a familiar pair of blue and gold scissors. Star grabbed the handles and stared into the blades, her reflection revealing sparkling streams winding over and past her heart emblems. After all those months of the worry slowly growing that he'd get caught up in traditional knight responsibilities, that he'd be dedicating his time elsewhere, that he'd climb to greater heights that she just _knew_ he was destined for-

Marco's hands weaved their way into her own, prying open the blades. His own reflection appeared in the inner edge of the other blade, tracks of tears mirroring her own.

"Uh, Star, as much as I'm loving just staring at them with you, why _exactly_ did Hekapoo just give you my scissors?"

She quickly swatted away the water from her cheeks with one arm, never looking up from their joined hands. "Right, right… well, this was just gonna be a normal gift to you, but I guess they all knew this was coming. Probably explained why they liked the idea… Anyway, since I guess I'm the one in charge of you now - again - you're gonna need your official gear." Marco raised an eyebrow and flickered an incredulous stare between her and the scissors. Her cheekmarks lit up as the scissors themselves glowed, the blades combining and extending to form a gleaming sword.

"Hekapoo was a huge help here, we put some weapons into your scissors so you don't ever need to carry heavy stuff around if you need something bigger for a fight. There's a spear, too… you can change it pretty easily, it'll respond to your thoughts since the scissors were magically made for you and all that. And I can use it too, because, y'know, our souls and all that junk."

"Wow, Star, this-"

"Wait, there's one last thing! _This_ one was all my idea. I know big fancy knight weapons aren't always your quite your speed…" The artifact lit up once more, briefly reverting to its original form before the two halves split apart entirely, a magical tether binding them together. Finally, the blue and gold components melded, each half warping into a cylinder, revealing a pair of dazzling metallic nunchaku.

"I wanted to give you something that might make you feel a bit more in your element while you were off galavanting with the knights, but I guess that isn't really necessary anymore. Oh, and don't use this form on Earth, it's illegal there for some reason. How did they let me do all my magic stuff there but want these things banned? I swear… But yeah, I guess with that, you're now officially my knight." Those last words finally sunk in to her mind as a giant weight was seemingly lifted from her shoulders, her giddiness mounting until she could barely contain it.

Marco wiped the specks of water from his own face and bowed down, head still facing upwards to smirk at his princess. "At your service, m'lady."

"I'll let you off the hook _just this once_ , Diaz," she retorted smugly. The joy rippling through her body finally burst as she snatched her knight up in her arms, lifting him off the ground and shaking him. "You're my knight, Marco! You did it! We did it!" Marco wheezed from the loss of breath, trying to respond but finding only coughs escape his throat.

"Which one of them needs a protector again?" Tom heckled from the crowd, eliciting some hearty chuckles from the audience and even Moon and River.

"Star, dear, set him down," Moon said as her own laughter died down. "Star. _Star._ STAR!"

* * *

"STAR!" Moon shouted, shaking her daughter's shoulders.

"Who what where?" Star snapped, jumping up from the slumped position in her seat, almost knocking the queen on her bottom.

"Well, I know the last few weeks have been hard on you, and I was content to let you rest through some of the minor events, but it seems that was not the most prudent idea."

"What do you meeeea-" Star's jaw went slack as she followed Moon's gaze upwards, locking eyes with the figure floating in the sky over the festivities, stringy hair flowing behind her in the wind. The giantess glowered right back at her and raised a finger the size and shape of an entire ear of corn, making it clear who she was directing her apparent animosity towards.

"Corntessa," Star mumbled in awe.

* * *

Author's Note: "Forever" is also apparently a meta title for how long it takes me to get off my ass and write new chapters. I apologize greatly for the delay, I definitely did have real life shit going on but that's no excuse, a lot of it was just not coming up with things to write and laziness at actually putting words on paper when I did manage to get inspired. I still do hope to keep chapters coming at a somewhat reasonable pace, but no matter what, rest assured that this fic isn't dead. Hope you all enjoyed, and please comment with any feedback or questions!

 **Review Responses:**

 **oirnk:** Yeah, I definitely laid it on too heavy early, but I think I've been making progress towards fixing that. Maybe I'll actually go edit that in earlier chapters later, but for now I'm just fixing typos occasionally.  
 **Jack Coffison:** This festival doesn't seem to be anything people actually _want_ to go to, so all the cool hip teens of Mewni aren't gonna be there. But of course they'll have their place in the story. As for the courting rituals... we'll see what happens there :P  
 **Allen Vth:** I have a _really_ fun part for Janna at some point later. Thanks for the praise!  
 **Unimpressive name:** Hope this chapter clearly answered your questions ;)  
 **Kirdei Antares:** The specifics of how it all went down are slowly getting fleshed out, so expect more on that...  
 **Michi** : Lennyface


	6. Discontinued, Reboot in Progress

As 3B played out and the SDCC clip gave some additional info, I became more and more displeased with both the quality of my writing and the direction of the plot I'd had set up. I still loved the relationship story I was trying to tell, so I'm rebooting this fic and retooling that into a setting I like a lot more. If you liked this, I very much hope you'll also enjoy the spiritual successor to it even more. Chapter 1 of that should be coming out any minute now. Thanks for reading!


End file.
